John River (Alaska)
| John River | |
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John River near Bettles
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Alaska |
| Districts | North Slope Borough, Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area |
| Source | confluence of Contact and Inukpasugruk creeks |
| - location | Endicott Mountains, Brooks Range, North Slope Borough |
| - elevation | 2,076 ft (633 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. [2] |
| Mouth | Koyukuk River [3] |
| - location | 1 mile (2 km) northeast of Bettles, Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area |
| - elevation | 600 ft (183 m) [2] |
| - coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. [2] |
| Length | 125 mi (201 km) [3] |
  Location of the mouth of the John River in Alaska
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- John River leads here. For Canadian rapper John River, see John River (rapper)
The John River is a 125-mile (201 km) tributary of the Koyukuk River in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] It was named after John Bremner, a prospector and explorer who was one of the first non-native persons to go there.[3] It flows south from Anaktuvuk Pass in Alaska's Brooks Range, into the larger river at a point near Bettles,[3] slightly north of the Arctic Circle.[4]
In 1980, the 52-mile (84 km) segment of the John River within the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve were designated "wild" and added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.[5] The designation means that the segment is unpolluted, free-flowing, and generally inaccessible except by trail.[6]
The John River Valley is an important migration route for Arctic caribou.[5]
Contents
Boating
It is possible to run the John River in canoes, kayaks, and small rafts, though conditions vary from place to place. The upper 35 miles (56 km) are rated Class III (difficult) on the International Scale of River Difficulty and "should be attempted only by experienced paddlers with solid wilderness skills."[7] Below this, the river is rated Class II (medium) for the next 47 miles (76 km), then Class I on the lower reaches all the way to the mouth. Dangers on the upper river include sustained whitewater, swift currents, a difficult 4-mile (6 km) portage, and the possibility of water too shallow to run.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Gates of the Arctic – National Park Service
- The John River, Alaska – Photo documentary on YouTube
- Pages with broken file links
- Geobox usage tracking for river type
- Rivers and streams of North Slope Borough, Alaska
- Rivers of Alaska
- Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States
- Rivers and streams of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
- Brooks Range
- Tributaries of the Yukon River
- Rivers and streams of Unorganized Borough, Alaska
